Best Guy Friend
by zagoorian athena
Summary: Whoever said that having guys for best friends equals to no drama probably never had one. Because what happens when you fall for one of them? Answer: Drama. /SasuSaku. AU./
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **Even without the semester coming to an official end, I am already in full-vacation mode and thus in high fanfiction-writing spirits! As promised in my last fic, I have a new one for all you die-hard SasuSaku fans. It's been a while since I've written a story that spans for more than one chapter, so I've decided to make just that! :D Enjoy reading! ;)

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all related characters rightfully belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

**Warning(s)**: AU.

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**Guy Best Friend**

Chapter One

_By Zagoorian Athena_

A lot of girls say that having guy best friends equals less drama. I beg to disagree.

I'm Haruno Sakura and my best friends are these two guys named Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke.

Now, you'd _think_ that being friends with someone as dense as Naruto and someone as emotionless as Sasuke would make my friendship with them the least of my worries. But the fact is that I like Sasuke. _A lot_. And when you have feelings for one of your best friends, you can expect a ton of drama.

Needless to say, the more I talk about this to my girl friends, the more I realize that maybe I should have hung out with people of the same sex more. That way, I wouldn't be crying myself to sleep almost every night when I think about how Sasuke would never see me the way I see him.

-oOo0oOo-

"He's just so _perfect_, you know?" I tell Ino while having lunch at the mall for some well-deserved girl bonding.

"Yes, you've told me that hundreds of times before, Forehead. If you explain to me one more time why you love that asshole so much, I think I'm gonna start falling for him too," she tells me mockingly while taking a bite from her rabbit food.

I just pout in reply and eat my burger in peace while trying hard to think of something else, but a picture of Sasuke's face keeps popping up in my head and I don't even pay attention to Ino's recap of her date with Shikamaru.

A couple of hours and a hundred or so stores later, I arrive at home and go up to my room to turn on my laptop and check my mail. The most recent unread message came from Naruto and I can't help feeling bothered that he actually e-mailed me instead of waiting to tell me personally at school tomorrow.

"SAKURA-CHAN!1!111" it reads. "URGENT NEWS! THE TEME! HE… HE… HE WAS ON A DATE TODAY! WITH THAT READHEAD STALKER FROM MATH CLASS!"

_What the—?_

I think my head's spinning. My vision's starting to get blurry now. I hold on to the desk for support and clutch my chest which feels like it could burst at any moment.

Did you hear that? I think that was the sound of my heart shattering into a million pieces.

-oOo0oOo-

I drag my feet down the stairs as my mom calls out for breakfast. It's Monday and I'm already running late but I couldn't even care less. The words from Naruto's e-mail keeps recurring in my head and each time Sasuke's name comes up, there's this simultaneous ache in the part where my heart's supposed to be. I sigh—It's gonna be a long week.

Everywhere I go, everywhere I turn to, I see Karin and Sasuke together as if they're purposely putting themselves in front of me just to remind me of my heartbreak. And just so that I wouldn't have to go through any more of that for the entire week, I avoid Sasuke like the plague.

On the bright side (as bright as falling into a deep pit of teenage love-induced angst may be), Naruto's with me on the whole avoiding-Sasuke thing. He tells me that he can't stand being near 'the bitch that's always clinging to Sasuke like a leech', as Naruto refers to her. I'm thankful that Naruto's by my side and all, but I can't get over the fact that even with both his best friends avoiding him, Sasuke can't even be man enough to ask us why we're keeping our distance.

The week thus turns into months and Naruto and I realize that we may have lost Sasuke for good.

-oOo0oOo-

Naruto's birthday is coming up and Hinata, his girlfriend, and I have decided to throw him a surprise birthday party at my place.

"Why don't we invite Sasuke-san to the party?" Hinata innocently asks me as we shop for the things we need for the party.

I stop halfway from reaching out to grab something off the shelf upon hearing _his_ name. It's been months since I've heard that name; Naruto and I silently agreed to never mention him when we were together and my other friends were good enough to do so around me as well. But it seems like in contrast to me, Naruto actually talked about Sasuke when he was alone with Hinata—he must really miss him.

"I don't know…" I reply hesitantly as I placed a bag of flour into the shopping cart. "It's been months since we last talked to him; who knows if he still sees us as his best friends or if he even wants to be acquainted to us at all," I continue with a slight bitterness to my tone.

"But I think it would make Naruto-kun really happy if he would come," she explains with hope in her voice.

Man, this girl loves her boyfriend so much.

"Okay then," I said so that she would drop the topic. "I'll see what I can do."

Hinata just gives me a warm smile as a thank you and we venture forth into the grocery store on our quest for more party goods.

Now I know that it's going to be difficult to even approach Sasuke, what with Karin being around him 24/7, but a promise is a promise. Which is why I am currently pacing around my bedroom right now, with thoughts on what to say to him, until I decide that I'm just gonna give him a call.

I grab my phone from its place on my bed and proceed to dialing his number. A few rings later, he picks up.

"What?" he says in a way as if I've just interrupted him doing something important. But then again, it's Sasuke—he always talks like this.

"Listen," I courageously answer him. "I know we haven't hung out since forever, but Naruto's birthday is coming up and we were planning to throw him a surprise party. It would be really awesome if you could come… you know, for old times' sake."

"Hn," he curtly replies. Is that a yes?

I sigh, frustrated at his no-good response. "Sheesh, Sasuke, you haven't changed one bit. I won't even bother asking you if that was a yes. But if it was, then be here at my place on Saturday, 3PM."

I angrily press the End button and hurl my cellphone across my bed. Tears are falling from my eyes again—it seems that after all this time, he still holds the same effect on me as he did many months ago. I realize that I'm always going to love him no matter how many times I try to convince myself to move on. The all-too-familiar ache in my chest is back and I fall back onto my bed as I let all the pain I kept bottled up wash over me.

The day of Naruto's birthday party arrives and everything's going according to plan so far—Hinata was with him while I was finishing up with the decorations and when he got here, it was evident on his face that he was completely shocked. However, Sasuke still hasn't shown up and I don't think he has any plans of coming.

Over the loud chatter of the guests' mingling and the blast of the music coming from the stereo, I hear the doorbell ring and I excuse myself from my conversation with Tenten and Temari to answer it.

_It must be Ino with the pizza_,I think to myself. Much to my surprise, however, it isn't Ino's bubbly aura that greets me but Sasuke's brooding demeanor, and I just have to rub my eyes to make sure that what I'm seeing isn't merely an illusion or something.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

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**A/N: **Did you like it? Did you hate it? TELL ME! Reviews are much appreciated. :3


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **Because I was such a lazy-ass when it came to studying for today's do-or-die Organic Chemistry exam, I decided to do Chapter 2 anyway even though I was planning to write it _after_ the exam. So for anyone that's kind enough to care about my grades, please pray for me! -_- Anyways, enjoy reading! :)

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all related characters rightfully belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

**Warning(s): **AU. Slight Karin-bashing.

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**Recap:**

Over the loud chatter of the guests' mingling and the blast of the music coming from the stereo, I hear the doorbell ring and I excuse myself from my conversation with Tenten and Temari to answer it.

_It must be Ino with the pizza_,I think to myself. Much to my surprise, however, it isn't Ino's bubbly aura that greets me but Sasuke's brooding demeanor, and I just have to rub my eyes to make sure that what I'm seeing isn't merely an illusion or something.

* * *

**Guy Best Friend**

Chapter Two

_By Zagoorian Athena_

"S-sasuke—?" I begin but Naruto sees him and excitedly rushes over to where we're standing by the door.

"Teme! You're here! I didn't know you were coming. Sakura-chan, were you the one that invited him?" the birthday boy asks me, clearly happy just as Hinata predicted.

"I—" I say, about to answer his question, but Naruto cut me off once again, engulfing me in a tight thank-you hug.

Turning to Sasuke who's just standing there without a care in the world, Naruto gives him a friendly punch on the arm with a cheeky grin to which Sasuke replies to with his trademark smirk.

Normally, I'd be happy that Sasuke came, but when there's Sasuke, there's also his bitch of a girlfriend and I am just not in the mood to deal with Karin's gloating or their PDA.

As Naruto drags our ex-ex-best friend (because I'm safely assuming that we're all friends again) to Hinata for a proper introduction, I turn to the door in wary anticipation of red hair and an arrogant vibe. But no one seems to be there and I look around curiously for any sign of _her_, scratching my head in confusion over her absence.

_Knowing her, she wouldn't have passed up the opportunity to be with him_, I think to myself as I go back to the buffet table and pour myself a drink.

But letting it go for now, I go back to where our other friends are to resume socializing.

-oOo0oOo-

Even though it's only just dinner time, almost everyone's pretty drunk already courtesy of a certain blonde female that thought it would be fun to liven up the party with booze. Luckily, my parents are out 'til Monday evening so they'll never know about any underage drinking that's occurring tonight.

I sigh, worried about the mess that I'm gonna have to clean up tomorrow morning. And not really in the mood to join the others in their rather loud and rather awful rendition of Party in the USA, I slide open the glass door that led to the balcony.

Gazing up at the stars with a drink in my hand, my thoughts drift back to the Uchiha who had unexpectedly shown up earlier.

It just seems pretty weird to me that he even bothered coming—for all I knew, he had forgotten that Naruto and I even existed! And the fact that the leech isn't here is another thing that's boggling my mind.

"Maybe they've broken up," I wonder out loud.

"Maybe _who's_ broken up?" asks someone from behind me.

I look back and see Sasuke leaning against the door frame with a smirk. Without a reply, however, I just turn back to gazing at the stars, embarrassed that he just heard that.

Seconds later, I feel his presence near me as he takes the place beside me and joins me in leaning against the railings to gaze up at the stars.

"So where's your girlfriend?" I boldly ask him in a cool manner as if it were some random topic.

"Is that what you were thinking about?" he arrogantly questions.

I remain silent, knowing he knows the answer to that, anyway.

From the corner of my eyes, I see him turn to me with that same arrogant look but sighs in defeat afterwards.

"We've broken up," he replies, keeping his eyes on me.

"I'm sorry to hear that," I sincerely tell him, facing him now.

"I'm not," he states, clearly not bothered by the end of his relationship with Karin.

I look into his eyes in search of any hint of betrayal to his words, but he really did seem okay.

"Why?" I ask quietly.

A few moments of silence while he continues staring at me, then he straightens up and walks back to the door. "I'll tell you next time," he promises as he steps back into the living room.

I stare back at him before sighing for the nth time and continue with my previous activity.

-oOo0oOo-

It's Monday again and though my house seemed like a refuge center for everyone who was too drunk to go to their own homes that night, everyone helped out in cleaning the mess the morning after when they were cured of their hangovers.

Going over to my locker to grab my stuff, I suddenly snap my head to the left as I hear my name.

"Haruno Sakura, you _bitch_!" comes the angry yell from a certain redhead that wasn't present at Saturday's party.

I raise my eyebrow at her in confusion before she charges toward me, unexpectedly grabs my hair, and starts pulling it.

"What the fuck?" I scream as I struggle to free my hair from her grasp, squinting my eyes at the pain.

"It's your fault Sasuke-kun broke up with me, you freak!" she continues yelling while everyone starts to gather around.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. And you're the freak here, freak!" I scream back at her with much effort.

She continues her assault on me before someone grabs my wrist and pulls me away from her.

"Karin! What the hell were you doing?" scolds an angry Sasuke who, as I open my eyes, was actually the one that saved me from his own ex's attack.

I come back to my senses only to find out that _his_ arms are protectively wrapped around me while Naruto keeps Karin restrained a few feet away.

"S-sasuke-kun!" calls out Karin desperately. "Please… take me back! Make me your girlfriend again!"

By now, Karin's eyes that were clouded with anger earlier are full of tears as she tries to get back with Sasuke, all while the rest of the student body watches on as if it were a television drama unfolding in front of them.

"Go away," comes Sasuke's cold response.

_Ouch_. If only Karin wasn't such a bitch, I'd actually feel sorry for her.

But as I massage my scalp to ease the pain she caused, I take back my words and Sasuke drags me towards our first class, leaving a dumbfounded Karin behind.

"I'm sorry about that," he apologizes right before we enter the classroom.

I look at him with confusion, not understanding why he's the one saying sorry.

"I don't think you're the one that should be apologizing, Sasuke. You're not the one who tried to pull my hair out," I assure him.

"Hn," he replies before he lets go of my hand that I failed to notice he was holding (and at this, I instantly blush) and goes over to his seat.

Going over to my own desk, two blondes quickly rush over to me with worry.

"Sakura, are you okay?" asks Ino as she tenderly combs my unruly hair with her fingers.

"Yeah, kinda," I tell them with a weak smile.

"Good, 'cause that bitch got what she deserved for doing that to you," Naruto states angrily.

"Kakashi-sensei saw what happened and gave her detention for two weeks," Ino explains.

I give them another friendly smile as Anko-sensei comes in and orders the class to settle down.

Looking back at Sasuke in search for an explanation, he merely glances at me shortly before reverting his attention back to our teacher.

Sighing worriedly, I suddenly get this feeling in my stomach that there's gonna be more drama in the days to come.

**TO BE CONTINUED…  
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**A/N: **To tell you all the truth, I had originally meant for this story to only be a two-shot, ending with Sasuke's confession of his undying love for Sakura out there at the balcony. But I decided, 'Nah, I'll just keep this story longer so that I'll get more reviews'. HAHAHAHA. So gimme gimme gimme those lovely reviews and I'll be your bestest best friend forever! :3


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **I know it's been _forever_ since my last update and I am very, very sorry for that. (I guess I enjoyed my break a bit too much!) But it's my birthday today and you guys will forgive me, right? _Right?_ (Sobs desperately). Anyhoo, here's chapter three. I hope you guys don't find it as suckish as I do. -_-

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all related characters rightfully belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

**Warning(s): **AU. Slight OOC.

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**Recap:**

"I'm sorry about that," he apologizes right before we enter the classroom.

I look at him with confusion, not understanding why he's the one saying sorry.

"I don't think you're the one that should be apologizing, Sasuke. You're not the one who tried to pull my hair out," I assure him.

"Hn," he replies before he lets go of my hand that I failed to notice he was holding (and at this, I instantly blush) and goes over to his seat.

Going over to my own desk, two blondes quickly rush over to me with worry.

"Sakura, are you okay?" asks Ino as she tenderly combs my unruly hair with her fingers.

"Yeah, kinda," I tell them with a weak smile.

"Good, 'cause that bitch got what she deserved for doing that to you," Naruto states angrily.

"Kakashi-sensei saw what happened and gave her detention for two weeks," Ino explains.

I give them another friendly smile as Anko-sensei comes in and orders the class to settle down.

Looking back at Sasuke in search for an explanation, he merely glances at me shortly before reverting his attention back to our teacher.

Sighing worriedly, I suddenly get this feeling in my stomach that there's gonna be more drama in the days to come.

* * *

**Guy Best Friend**

Chapter Three

_By Zagoorian Athena_

Two weeks have passed since that incident with Karin and things are back to the way they used to—well, sort of, anyway. Though the three of us are back together again, I've noticed that Naruto would always be between me and Sasuke, the latter always making sure to put some distance between the both of us. Of course, this shouldn't bother me as much as I'm allowing it, but it doesn't help that Sasuke's not being subtle about the whole thing.

Every time I approach him to get some answers, he always manages to come up with some lame excuse and bolts. But when I asked Naruto about it over lunch one day, the dense idiot merely said that he hasn't noticed anything unusual about Sasuke at all.

Wanting to get some alone time to gather my thoughts, I make my way up the stairs and open the door to the rooftop only to find, to my surprise, the very object of my deep musings. With his back against me, I can't really see what he's so preoccupied about but by the looks of it, he's holding something in his hands while he has his earphones on, which explains why he didn't hear me come in. Careful not to make my presence known, I approach him stealthily from behind and just as I'm about to reach out to him, he sighs and turns around, eyes widening in shock once he spots me a few paces from him.

I then notice that whatever he was looking at earlier is now hidden behind his back as I search his obsidian eyes for an explanation.

"Sakura, I…" he starts to say.

I move one step forward, trying to get closer to him. But as I get nearer, he sidesteps further away from me and I draw my eyebrows together in frustration.

"What the _hell_, Sasuke_?_"

"I can't talk right now," he says as he starts walking away from me.

"Really? What's your excuse this time?" I sarcastically ask him, hands on my hips as I tap my foot in impatience.

"I'm not done with my Social Science homework yet. Naruto said he'd let me copy," he states as if copying answers from Naruto didn't sound wrong.

"That's the best you can come up with? Honestly, I—" I begin with my rant, but he cuts me off by closing the door with a loud bang, leaving me to stare at empty space.

"_Uchiha Sasuke, you idiot!_" I scream at no one in particular, tears streaming down my face.

-oOo0oOo-

Quickly drying my eyes as soon as the bell signaling the end of lunch rings, I sprint down the stairs in haste towards my locker to get my stuff for my next class. However, as soon as I open it, a note falls to the floor and I eye it curiously before picking it up.

_Meet me at the rooftop after school._

–_S._

And as soon as I read the last part, my heart skips a beat while a wide smile replaces the frown that was previously on my face. _I hope this means he's finally going to tell me what's been bothering him_, I think to myself as I skip merrily towards our Social Studies room.

Taking my seat in front of Sasuke (thankfully, the teacher hasn't arrived yet), I glance back at him cheerily only to get a raised eyebrow in response. I open my mouth to tell him that I'll definitely be at the rooftop later, but the teacher enters the classroom and I divert my attention to her instead, hoping Sasuke got what I was about to say.

-oOo0oOo-

As the bell signaling the end of the school day rings, I quickly hop to my feet and make a mad dash towards my locker, eager to meet Sasuke and have him tell me what's been bugging him.

The school books that I won't be needing for tonight are practically thrown haphazardly into the metal compartment and I grab my bag excitedly. _Calm down, Sakura_, I tell myself as I power-walk the rest of my journey to the rooftop of the school building. Taking a deep breath as I reach the door separating me from one of my best friends, I slowly open it, this time anticipating a mass of black tresses.

But rather than the spiked-up hairdo that I was hoping to see, neatly-combed raven hair greets me along with a smile that definitely doesn't belong to the Uchiha Sasuke I know.

Sai, a school heartthrob whose surname is oddly unknown to the whole student body of Konoha High School, takes a step forward and offers me his hand for a seemingly friendly handshake.

"Sakura-san, I'm so glad you received my note," he cheerily (albeit in a slightly creepy manner) tells me as I hesitantly grasp his hand for a few seconds in acknowledgment.

"You're the one who wrote that note?" I ask him, disappointment clearly etched on my face.

His face falters a bit. "You were expecting someone else?" he asks me back.

"Well, sort of… but… I guess it doesn't matter," I tell him, putting on an apologetic smile.

"Ano, well… as for the reason I called you up here," he begins as his facial expression shifts towards embarrassment and I can't help but notice how _cute_ he actually looks.

He scratches his chin and looks away from me as I peer at him with curiosity.

"I would just like to say that… I like you—"

_Wait, what!_

"—very much—"

_Oh no, oh no, oh no. Tell me he's not confessing! I'm not in the proper emotional state to handle this right now!_

"—and I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me this weekend," he finishes with a smile, sincere this time, and holds up a red rose I didn't notice was hidden behind his back.

_Did he just ask me out? But… but… this isn't supposed to happen! I can't go out with him. What will Sasuke think? And—_

"Sakura-san?" he cautiously asks as I space out in shock due to his confession.

The hand that's holding up the rose sags a bit and before I know it, my hand reaches out and grabs the stem of the flower.

"T-thank you," I tell him, a blush staining my cheeks as I come to the realization that someone—one of _the _school's heartthrob, for that matter—just asked me out.

Sai's face brightens up a bit and I can tell that he's happy with my reply.

_I guess one date won't hurt_, I manage to convince myself, smiling back at him as he comes forward and places a hand on my cheek. My eyes widen as his lips suddenly descend upon my forehead and I squeak in surprise, the rose he had given me clutched tightly between my trembling hands.

He steps back and smiles at me again and my blush only intensifies (if that were even possible).

"How does Saturday sound?" he asks me, referring to the date I had unknowingly agreed to. I merely nod my head in reply, lost for words at his boldness.

"I shall walk you home then," he offers with his right hand raised in waiting for me to accept it. My hand shyly accepts his and we walk hand in hand down the stairs and outside the school gates.

For some strange reason, though, my heart's beating wildly against my ribcage and I can't help wondering if it was because of the guy walking next to me. I take a shy peek at him, trying to come up with an explanation behind the sudden butterflies that have popped up in my stomach. He merely tightens his grip on my hand, and I begin to notice that Sai actually looks a lot like Sasuke. And then I think, _maybe, just maybe, he could be the one to help me move on from the drama that _is_ Uchiha Sasuke._

However, as we continue to walk down the streets towards my home, we both fail to notice the menacing aura that's stalking behind us.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

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**A/N: **Okay, now I feel guilty. I'm sorry if you guys were expecting a lot more than this. But I swear I'll make the next chapter a whole lot better! Reviews for the birthday girl, please? :3


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: **So I realized that I needed to post this chapter before I study for my exam on Wednesday (damn you, Organic Chemistry! D: ) because if I didn't, my next update would be the weekend after this one. :P But I don't think anyone cares, anyway. HAHA! Happy reading! :D

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all related characters rightfully belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

**Warning(s): **AU.

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**Recap:**

"I shall walk you home then," he offers with his right hand raised in waiting for me to accept it. My hand shyly accepts his and we walk hand in hand down the stairs and outside the school gates.

For some strange reason, though, my heart's beating wildly against my ribcage and I can't help wondering if it was because of the guy walking next to me. I take a shy peek at him, trying to come up with an explanation behind the sudden butterflies that have popped up in my stomach. He merely tightens his grip on my hand, and I begin to notice that Sai actually looks a lot like Sasuke. And then I think, maybe, just maybe, he could be the one to help me move on from the drama that is Uchiha Sasuke.

However, as we continue to walk down the streets towards my home, we both fail to notice the menacing aura that's stalking behind us.

* * *

**Guy Best Friend**

Chapter Four

_By Zagoorian Athena_

"I don't know what you're so worked up about, Naruto. It's just one date," I assure the said blonde who didn't seem to be listening as he continues his rants while lying on my bed.

"But Sakura-_chan_," he whines. "This is just like when Sasuke-teme was dating that stalker bitch!"

Sasuke, who also happens to be in my bedroom as I prepare for my date with Sai, glares daggers at the oblivious Naruto, clearly not ecstatic at how his dating life was brought into the conversation.

I eye my dark-haired best friend warily as I finish applying lip gloss, waiting for some sort of reply from him.

"Pretty soon you're gonna start hanging around with that bastard—not you, teme—more often than us and our friendship will fall apart again! I don't want to have to imagine sitting at lunch alone with Sasuke-teme. It's _weird_," Naruto continues.

"Dobe. I'm right here," mutters an angry Sasuke who throws one of my pillows at Naruto.

"Okay, one: I'm not even sure how this date is going to turn out; two: you have a _girlfriend_, Naruto, so even if I'd stop hanging out with you guys, not that I ever would, you definitely won't be eating lunch with Sasuke alone because you have Hinata-chan with you; and three: get out of my damn bedroom so that I can change out of this outfit," I finish with exasperation.

"What's wrong with the outfit you have on now?" he asks, completely ignoring my first two statements.

"I think it makes my hips look big," I reply casually, looking at myself in the mirror for confirmation.

"Hn," Sasuke grunts in response, dragging an unwilling Naruto out the door by the back of his shirt.

I sigh heavily. _Sasuke doesn't seem bothered at all by the fact that I have a date_, I mull with distress. _Maybe he doesn't care at all?_

_On the other hand, the way he was staring at me intently a while back was kind of strange. It was like he was pleading for me not to go… but it must have been my imagination. I mean, why would Sasuke care, right? It's not like he has feelings for me or anything._

_That's right. He doesn't care. He's just here because Naruto forced him._

Changing into a black dress I had removed from my closet a while ago, I quickly comb through my hair when I hear the doorbell ring downstairs.

As I reach the living room where I presume Sai is at, I suddenly feel the tension hanging around—Naruto's eyeing my poor date suspiciously at an uncomfortably close distance while Sasuke's just standing by the corner behind the couch, sending death glares at his lookalike.

But once he spots me, Sai eagerly stands up from his place beside my blonde friend and offers his arm for me to grab on to. "Ready to go?" he asks as if there aren't two men present and ready to murder him right about now.

"Sure," I nervously reply, putting my arm around his.

"Have fun, you two," my mom happily tells us from the kitchen before my dad strictly reminds Sai of my curfew at ten o' clock.

Right as we're about to step out, though, I glance back at my two friends whose eyes keep following our every move. "The both of you can go home now," I tell them sweetly.

"Remember Sakura-chan: if he tries to rape you, you have pepper spray in your bag," Naruto hollers as I close the door behind me with a loud bang.

I look up at Sai, embarrassed at my friend's behavior. "I'm sorry about that," I apologize meekly to him as he holds the car door open for me and I slide myself in. "Naruto's just naturally overprotective of me. He thinks that I'm gonna stop being his friend just because I agreed to this date."

"Ah, yes. And Uchiha Sasuke-san feels the same way?" he casually asks as he starts the car.

I stop to think about his question. _Why _was_ Sasuke being overprotective?_

But seeing that I wasn't answering his query, Sai merely changes the topic as he drives us to dinner.

-oOo0oOo-

Surprisingly, the date with Sai didn't turn out as bad as I thought it would. He was actually a nice guy with a good sense of humor and a talent for drawing. And because he was such a gentleman, he took me home before curfew, earning my dad's approval. Pretty soon, we were on our next date, then another one, and another one. And before I knew it, we were official.

Needless to say, his fan girls didn't approve of it. Neither did Naruto and Sasuke. But the former gradually warmed up to the idea of me having a boyfriend after I proved to him that I could still hang out with them even with Sai around.

Sasuke, on the other hand…

Well, let's just say that he's gone back to ignoring me. Though the three of us still spend time together, sometimes with Sai or Hinata tagging along, Sasuke would always choose to remain in his own little bubble, only joining in the conversation when it was Naruto talking to him.

He hasn't talked to me in a long time and I'm wondering if he's doing it on purpose to shut me out.

Admittedly, my heart still aches whenever I think about him; my mind keeps coming up with insane theories that _maybe_ he's jealous… _maybe_ he wants to be the one that makes me smile all the time.

But I know all of that is just a product of my love (yes, love) for him. Even though I have Sai now, I don't think what I feel for Sasuke will ever go away—which is why I'm thankful I have Sai in my life; every time my heart gets torn by Sasuke, _he's_ always there to tape the pieces back together. Whether unintentional or not, Sasuke keeps me hanging by a thread, confusing me with the way he acts whenever he sees me and Sai together. A small flicker of hope shines during these rare occasions, and my foolish heart believes that I'm gonna get something more than that. But nothing ever does. At least, not from Sasuke.

I know it seems selfish of me to use Sai like that, but I can't seem to bear the thought of not having anyone to cushion me every _freakin' _time I trip and fall over Sasuke.

As I mull over these thoughts, my phone suddenly vibrates in my pocket and I pull it out only to see that it was none other than Sasuke himself. My heart skips a beat at the thought of him texting me after such a long time and I focus so intently on the message that I fail to notice that I was crossing a street.

A blinding light coming from my right and the sound of rubber tires screeching against asphalt are the last things I remember before falling limply to the ground and hitting my head against the cold wet pavement, rendering me unconscious.

**TO BE CONTINUED…

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**

**A/N: **Gasp! Our beloved heroine's met an unfortunate accident! How will our dear Sasuke deal with the horrible news? Keep those reviews coming, guys, and I'll try and update as soon as I possibly can. :3 Teehee.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: **As I type this, I'm supposed to be cramming my defiant brain with useless Organic Chemistry stuff; but because my brain's had enough crap and won't absorb any more, it decided to come up with fantastic lines for this chapter-and I just can't ignore my brain when it's in the mood for some writing. So **cheers** to fanfiction and SasuSaku fandom! HOORAY! :D Anyways, enjoy reading! :)

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all related characters rightfully belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

**Warning(s): **AU. Shift of POV (to Sasuke's).

* * *

**Recap:**

As I mull over these thoughts, my phone suddenly vibrates in my pocket and I pull it out only to see that it was none other than Sasuke himself. My heart skips a beat at the thought of him texting me after such a long time and I focus so intently on the message that I fail to notice that I was crossing a street.

A blinding light coming from my right and the sound of rubber tires screeching against asphalt are the last things I remember before falling limply to the ground and hitting my head against the cold wet pavement, rendering me unconscious.

* * *

**Guy Best Friend**

Chapter Five

_By Zagoorian Athena_

The room is dead silent as all of us wait anxiously for her to wake up.

To my right, Naruto pretends to be watching television—though he's obviously not paying attention to the show otherwise he would have laughed at the lame joke one of the characters just said; to my left, that _bastard_ sits by her bed, caressing her hand tenderly as the monitor behind him assures everyone in the room that she's still alive somehow.

That should be _me_ sitting by _her _bed, caressing _her_ hand, damn it.

But I know I'm at fault here: if I hadn't texted her, she would have paid attention to where she was going and she would have seen that speeding car before it ran her over.

That night, as soon as I noticed it was taking her longer than she should have to reply, I figured something must have happened. When I phoned her house, it was her dad that picked up, telling me that she was at the hospital after the sorry ass of a driver that hit her called the ambulance for help.

I rushed over as soon as I could, but she was at the O.R. when I arrived—I thought, _how bad is it? Is she alright? Is she alive?_

Morbid thoughts kept popping up in my head no matter how hard I tried to repress them. I was on the brink of insanity as we—her parents, Naruto, Hinata, that _bastard_, and I—waited for the doctor to come out with a status report.

Luckily, though, it turned out alright.

That all happened two nights ago.

Now… she's just lying there…

She looks so fragile, with her head wrapped around in bandages, and bruises and scars scattered across her porcelain skin.

A few more minutes tick by and Ino comes in, a bunch of fresh flowers in her hands, and places them in the vase beside the bed. She moves to sit beside Naruto and joins him in staring at the television just as a nurse, somewhere in her mid-30s I presume, comes in with an uneasy look.

"The patient is only allowed two visitors at a time," she firmly informs us. But none of us reply, and we just look at her with our pained expressions. I guess she understood that none of us want to leave the room, because she just sighs sympathetically and lets us be.

All of a sudden, "Sakura—!"

Upon hearing her name, I abruptly whip my head towards the bastard who had screamed it out to find, much to everyone's delight, Sakura blinking her green eyes open once again.

-oOo0oOo-

_I can't believe I overslept_, I scold myself as I make my way through the hallway of Konoha General Hospital towards Sakura's room.

_Really, I wouldn't even have gone home if Sakura hadn't insisted I needed some sleep (and a shower)._

Finally arriving in front of Room 214, I immediately get rid of my scowling face and angry aura for the sake of the patient I'm visiting. Just as I'm about to reach out and grab the doorknob, the white wooden door swings backward and the nurse from yesterday—now looking much stricter than I remember—looks at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Now that she's finally regained consciousness, you'll have to wait your turn to visit her—two visitors at a time," she reminds me and I nod briskly at her, not wanting to cross the woman.

I lean back against the wall right outside her room for a few minutes before the door opens once again and this time, Naruto and Hinata emerge.

"Teme, you're just in time! Sakura-chan was looking for you," he tells me as he walks off with his girlfriend with a cheerful wave goodbye.

I simply grunt in response, not caring if he heard my reply at all.

-oOo0oOo-

"Hey," she greets with a toothy grin as I enter the all-too familiar hospital room, closing the door behind me with a soft thud.

I give no reply, my footsteps echoing in the silent room as I walk closer to her. I can see that she's looking much better now—most of her wounds have started healing and fresh bandages now covered her head.

The moment I arrive at her side, she suddenly opens her arms wide and amusedly asks me, "Come on, where's my hug?"

I stare at her for a while as I debate on whether I should hug her or not. But I've missed her so damn much and I almost lost her—so I give a small smirk and lean in to wrap my arms softly around her shoulders.

"I'm not gonna shatter into pieces, you know," she tells me with a small laugh and I engulf her in a _slightly_ tighter embrace.

I take in her scent—who cares if she hasn't bathed in days?—and _God_, I can't remember the last time I held her in my arms like this. Her soft frame fits perfectly against my lean one and I can't help thinking that _this_ feels so right.

Letting my embrace linger for a fraction of a second longer than necessary, I straighten back up and look at her angelic face, caressing her soft cheeks with the back of my hand.

"How are you feeling?" I ask her with voice that's turned gruff due to lack of usage over the past few days.

"Much better," she replies, leaning in to my touch and putting a gentle hand on mine.

We stay quiet for a while, basking in each other's company; no words need to be exchanged right now while the comfortable silence stretches on.

She stares innocently back at me, drowning me in her gorgeous pools of emerald. _Have her eyes always been this expressive?_ Lost in a trance, I hardly notice how our faces end up mere inches apart from each other until I feel our breaths mingling from the proximity—so close, I can almost taste her.

_Just a little more_, a voice in the back of my head cheers.

And just like that, I seal the distance between us and press my lips against hers. She closes her eyes, not at all outraged by my actions, and kisses me back gently.

We pull back not too long after, though, and we stare at each other once again.

Her eyes speak the words she can't bring up to say, and in them, I see every ounce of emotion she put forth into that short but sweet kiss: regret, happiness, confusion, longing, and _love_.

And without even thinking… without even considering the fact that she has a boyfriend, I blurt out the words that have been plaguing my thoughts for quite some time now.

"Sakura, I love you."

**TO BE CONTINUED…

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**

**A/N:** I don't know why, but I quite enjoyed writing the last part. Teehee. Oh well. The next chapter might be the last one already—I can't believe I managed to prolong this story this much! LOL. So pretty please send those reviews and I promise to give you looooooots of love! :D :D :D


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! I bet y'all thought I was probably dead, didn't you? :)) Well, don't fret for I am very much alive (though not so well—I think I might be coming down with something). I am terribly, _terribly_ sorry for the long wait. This is, by far, the longest it took for me to update a story and I feel horrible for putting you guys on edge. As always, school has been getting in the way of my _life_—all I ever think about anymore is the taxonomy of different kinds of animals and how they differ from each other and—yeah, you probably get the picture. But hopefully, this ending will make up for making you wait for an entire month. So, without further ado, the last chapter! Happy reading! ;)

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all related characters rightfully belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

**Warning(s): **AU. Shift of POV (to Sakura's). Violence?

* * *

**Recap:**

Her eyes speak the words she can't bring up to say, and in them, I see every ounce of emotion she put forth into that short but sweet kiss: regret, happiness, confusion, longing, and _love_.

And without even thinking… without even considering the fact that she has a boyfriend, I blurt out the words that have been plaguing my thoughts for quite some time now.

"Sakura, I love you."

* * *

**Guy Best Friend**

Chapter Six

_By Zagoorian Athena_

To say that I wasn't the least bit surprised when I heard those words from Sasuke himself would be the biggest lie I would ever make. After all, it wasn't like he gave me any reason to believe so. The whole time I've known him, I honestly believed that Sasuke was incapable of feeling the romantic type of love (because, at the very least, I supposed he knew how to love me and Naruto as _friends_).

But _boy_, was I wrong.

The moment he realized what he had just told me, he bolted without a word and left me feeling more confused than I had ever felt in my entire life. The tears came as easily as they did when it came to matters regarding Sasuke and I was lucky that by the time Sai had arrived with his ever-charming smile and basketful of gifts, my eyes and face were void of any remnants of crying.

Today, I go back to school after weeks of being confined in the hospital and instead of being happy to finally be able to return to how things were,—except for the fact that I'm practically limping with every step—I feel nothing but dread at the prospect of having to face Sasuke.

-oOo0oOo-

I guess I should be relieved that I didn't see Sasuke the whole morning because at least I wasn't forced to look at him with memories of his confession flooding my head, but something doesn't seem quite right. For one thing, Sai's presence seems to be missing as well and I'd hate to think that it has something to do with what Sasuke said to me at the hospital.

Deciding to skip lunch due to an uneasy feeling at the pit of my stomach, I walk (or rather, _limp_) my way up the stairs to my favorite thinking place—the school's rooftop. I could really use a breath of fresh air right now.

_What a mess my life is right now_, I bitterly think to myself as the constant pain that shoots through my leg makes it hard for me to get to my destination faster. A few moments later, I finally reach the top of the stairs and as I approach the slightly-open door that led to the rooftop, I hear _familiar_ voices emanating from the other side.

"Well I saw her first, you fucking bastard, so if you don't mind, leave her alone," seethes Sasuke through clenched teeth.

Unfortunately, though not surprisingly, it's Sai that he's talking to and I can't help the wave of fear that's coursing through my veins right now; fear that if something were to happen to either of them, I would never be able to forgive myself for being the cause of this mess.

With a calm yet spine-chilling voice, Sai says "I don't care if you saw her first and called dibs. I'm not the one who stood by and waited for years only to see the one I love be taken away by someone who could and will make her happy, and then confess my feelings for her even though she's already with someone else."

Hitting the target at bullseye, Sasuke doesn't seem to have any verbal reply to that and thus rolls his hands into angry fists while glaring daggers at the guy before him, rage taking over his entire being. At his speechlessness, Sai merely smirks triumphantly and turns his back on him to walk away. "If you have nothing else to say, Sasuke-san—" he begins to say but is cut off when Sasuke grabs onto his shoulders and stops him from going any further.

"I'm not done with you yet," Sasuke spits out vehemently. Then suddenly, he turns Sai around to face him and lands a punch smack-dab in the cheek. Feeling helpless, I can only gasp in horror at the rumble that's unfolding right in front of me.

I feel sorry for Sai; Sasuke is very strong and I just don't think he stands a chance against an Uchiha. But as if hearing my thoughts, Sai scrambles back up with another spine-chilling chuckle and my eyes widen when, the next thing I know, Sasuke is down on the ground with blood trickling down his chin. From where I stand, I can't really see their expressions but I can only imagine Sai staring down at his opponent with a cold look that I've only ever seen once when he took out this guy that was about to harass me.

He walks nearer to Sasuke, _agonizingly_ slow, then picks him up by the tufts of his hair and sneers at him. "You were saying, _Sasuke-san_?" He raises his other hand to strike once more at the unconscious Sasuke and right there and then, his fist descends upon my own best friend in slow motion as I step out of my hiding place and make a beeline for where they were, a few feet away from me.

"Sai, _stop_!" I scream when I realize I wouldn't make it in time. Thankfully, he hears me just as his fist's about to make contact with Sasuke's swelling cheek and I use his momentary state of shock to come in between them and take Sasuke into my hands, caressing his face as tears roll down my own.

"Sai, _no_, I can't allow you to hurt him. I can't bear to see any of you get hurt—I just _can't_. I'm sorry, but you have to stop, and… and…" I choke out in between sobs. The way Sasuke is situated on my lap puts me in a position that makes it painful for my leg, but that's the least of my worries right now.

Sai, understanding what I meant, lowers his stance and stares at me, not with the cold look he had a while back—no!—on the contrary, it was such a warm look, a look that tore my heart into pieces when I think about what I'm about to tell him.

I hesitate a bit, afraid of how he'll react, afraid of how much I'm going to hurt him—but I love him too much to continue deceiving him like this. I have to tell him that I'm setting him free because I've been selfish to have used him to move on from Sasuke when, deep in my subconscious, I've always known that it was impossible for me to stop loving him in the first place!

But no words are coming out of my mouth.

On my lap, Sasuke lays unconscious, oblivious to the heartache he's once again putting me through.

But Sai understands, just as he always has, and smiles sadly at me.

"But of course, the unconscious loser always gets the girl in the end," he tells me with a slight bitterness to his tone.

"Sai, you know it's not like that! I—"

"I know, I know. I'm just kidding, Sak." He looks away from me and moves his gaze to the vast expanse of the sky overhead and I can't help wondering what's going through his mind right now.

The silence stretches on. I don't know how long I've been sitting there, or how much longer it's going to be. I continue staring at the guy in front of me, waiting for him to say something, _anything_, to get rid of the melancholic mood that hung in the air.

After a while, he sighs and looks me tenderly in the eye.

"I've always known that your heart always has and always will belong to that guy right there. I guess it was foolish of me to believe that I could change that," he sadly states.

I can't think of anything to say but "Sai… I'm really, _really_ sorry."

"Yeah, I know you are," he responds with a grin that I know is fake.

"You know I love you, but…" I continue, thinking of some way I could alleviate the tremors of the break-up that's bound to happen.

"…but you're always gonna love him no matter what," he finishes for me with another sigh.

I look at him with remorse. No amount of sorries will ever make up for what I'm putting him through—and yet, there he stands, taking it all in without any hint of loathing towards me.

Silence overwhelms us once again.

"But Sak," he says, breaking the ice with a bit of a happier tone this time, "if he ever makes you cry again, I'm always gonna be here. You know that, right?"

Surprised at his sudden change of mood, I stare at his chipper face, dumbfounded, before a crooked smile makes its way to my face and tears—happy tears, this time—cascade down my pink cheeks once more.

He leans down and gives me a quick peck on the cheek, ruffles my hair adoringly, mutters 'you lucky bastard' at Sasuke, and waves goodbye before leaving me alone on the rooftop with the guy I've chosen to love forevermore.

As if on cue as Sai closes the door behind him, Sasuke's eyes flutter open and my hands immediately move to cup his face in my hands. "Sasuke-kun, you're awake! How are you feeling?" I worriedly ask him.

He groans in pain and sits up first before replying, "Tch. I'm fine, but where is he? Where is that asshole? He needs to learn a thing or two about messing with—"

"You don't have to worry about Sai anymore," I interject.

He looks at me with confusion written all over his face. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asks cautiously.

"It means," I start before taking a deep breath, preparing myself for my own confession. "I love you, too, you idiot," I tell him with a cheeky grin.

His eyes widen for a bit, probably not expecting me to choose him over my ex.

It isn't at all how I imagined I'd confess to him—my eyes are bloodshot from too much crying, cheeks flushed for the very same reason; my leg is in so much pain that it's taking all of my willpower not to curse at how much it hurt; and my hair looks like it needs a good combing from where Sai had tousled it. He, too, isn't the epitome of perfection like he usually is as blood stains line his jaw, and his hair is even messier than usual.

But none of that matters right now. All that matters is the sincere, heart-warming smile that adorns his face when he finally comprehends the things I had just said and the warm feel of his lips on mine as he kisses me, tenderly but passionately at the same time.

And even as the bell rings and announces the start of our next class, I couldn't care less anymore. All that I care about is him and the both of _us_, and how I'm lucky to have fallen in love with my best friend.

**THE END**

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**A/N: **I can't believe it only took me (time check) 3 hours to write all of _that_. And yes, people, in case you haven't noticed, the last line is from Jason Mraz's 'Lucky'. I really hope you enjoyed reading **Guy Best Friend**. To everyone that waited patiently for each update, reviewed on each chapter, added this story to their list of Favorite Stories, put this story on Story Alert and even favorited me as an author: a huge THANK YOU! :D :D :D Until next time! ;)


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